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Love Animating Galatea, the Statue of Pygmalion
Howard, Henry - Enlarge image
Love Animating Galatea, the Statue of Pygmalion
- Object:
Painting
- Place of origin:
England, Great Britain (made)
- Date:
ca. 1802 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Howard, Henry (RA), born 1769 - died 1847 (after, artist)
- Materials and Techniques:
oil on canvas
- Credit Line:
Bequeathed by Rev. Chauncey Hare Townshend
- Museum number:
1397-1869
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 120, case WE
Object Type
Oil paintings based on classical stories were very popular at the beginning of the 19th century. This painting is a copy or version of Henry Howard's picture of the same title exhibited at the Royal Academy, London, in 1802.
Subject Depicted
The subject of this painting is the ancient Greek legend of Pygmalion, who was both a sculptor and King of Cyprus. According to Ovid's Metamorphoses, a long poem in Latin describing the fantastical transformations of gods, animals, elements and mortals into one another, Pygmalion fell in love with a life-like statue he had carved of his own ideal woman. At his earnest prayer, Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, took pity on him and brought the statue to life. He then married his creation. This myth was a popular theme for artists, as the hero of the tale was, like them, an aspiring artist in love with his art, and an inspiration to everyone who sought to create sublime decorative or fine art.
People
Henry Howard (1769-1847) originally aspired to be a history painter in the manner of Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792). Having become a friend of the sculptor and designer John Flaxman (1755-1826) while they were studying in Rome from 1791 to 1794, Howard continued to follow his friend's distinctive form of Neo-classicism on returning to Britain. He was also influenced by French Neo-classical artists, and tried to imitate their stylised rendering of classical scenes.
